Weezer made one of the most surprising comebacks of 2001 with their second self titled effort (commonly referred to as "The Green Album"). It had been five years since they last released an album, and 1996's Pinkerton was only a cult classic, failing to reach the multiplatinum status that it's predecessor (the first self titled album, commonly referred to as "The Blue Album") had. But buoyed by a pair of hit singles (Hash Pipe and Island in the Sun), the band gained a new large teen following and looked to capitalize on it quickly by putting out their fourth album, Maladroit, just about a year after Green.
The first single from Maladroit, Dope Nose, got really good radio airplay, and decent video airplay, but it failed to take off for who knows what reason. It had a great hook, both musically and vocally. So the band decided to harken back to the 1970s, just as they had done for the Happy Days themed Buddy Holly video from Blue. This time however, their co-stars would be those lovable creatures of Jim Henson's known as The Muppets, and the single was Keep Fishin'.
The band went all out, even recording a retooled version of the song just for the video while they were on tour in Japan. Despite the presence of the lovable Muppets (some in Weezer t-shirts no less), Keep Fishin failed to take off as the band (and their record label, no doubt) had hoped.
While I enjoyed the version of Keep Fishin' that was found on the Maladroit album, I thought the new "radio" version was a much better choice for radio play. The mix had a bit more energy to it, and the guitars seemed to be much more in tune with the music. In fact, this version would point out flaws that weren't immediately obvious on the album version. Namely, that the album version was just the outline of what could be a great pop song. The "radio" version was the realization of that potential.
Needless to say, I wanted the radio version. I had no luck with Kazaa, as everything seemed to be a rip off the radio. I even found one version that was a rip of the video, complete with Muppet sound effects. I got annoyed, and so I plunked down some money for this import single. It appeared that there would be no domestic single released (I was wrong, although the domestic single seemed to be VERY VERY limited, I haven't seen it in well over a year).
Besides the excellent radio version of Keep Fishin, this single has a pair of live tracks from the band's 2002 Japanese Tour. The first, Photograph, is a just about note for note performance of the third single from the Green disc. It's important to note that the mixing on this track is horrible. The drums and bass are way in the back, and it never seems that the right guitar is out front on the right parts.
The other live track is a performance of the Maladroit song Death and Destruction. This track sports some crowd interaction from lead singer Rivers Cuomo, as well as a bit of an extended intro piece that while not exactly necessary, is somewhat interesting. The song is more of a ballad type of number, although it does have a little bit of kick to it thanks to the ringing solo put out by guitarist Brian Bell. That being said, it is one of the weaker tracks from Maladroit, and its inclusion drags this single down a bit further.
The last thing included on this single is perhaps the biggest attraction of all: the video, featuring the Muppets, for Keep Fishin'. The premise of the video is that the band is a guest on the Muppet Show, and are just about to go on when they realize that their drummer, Patrick Wilson, is missing. He's been kidnapped by Miss Piggy, who is a bit, shall we say, enraptured by Wilson. The band still takes the stage with Animal on the kit, and Pat, after escaping, joins the band at the end on his own kit. The video featured most of your favorite Muppets of yore, and it was just a blast to watch for anyone who grew up loving the Muppets (as I did). Add in some dancing Muppet penguins and I was in heaven (for those of you who don't know, I think Penguins are the greatest creatures on earth).
While the Keep Fishin #1 single is far from essential, it is a nice addition to a Weezer fan's collection. It's worth it for the radio version of the song and the included video with the Muppets. The live tracks are underwhelming, but I can't see many people buying this for the live tracks anyway. This single could also become obsolete if the band were to release a comprehensive video collection on DVD, but until then, this might be your best alternative.
More on Weezer:
The Blue Album: http://www.epinions.com/content_86667792004
Pinkerton: Coming soon!
The Green Album: http://www.epinions.com/content_69089791620
Maladroit: http://www.epinions.com/content_65785728644
Live in Mansfield, MA (concert review): http://www.epinions.com/content_2771099780
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